Who's donating to congressional campaigns in your town?

Donors pumped $4.4 million into congressional campaigns in Massachusetts from April to June, new Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports show.

By David Riley

MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA

By David Riley

Posted Jul. 24, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jul 24, 2012 at 8:50 AM

By David Riley

Posted Jul. 24, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jul 24, 2012 at 8:50 AM

» Social News

Donors pumped $4.4 million into congressional campaigns in Massachusetts from April to June, new Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports show.

The fundraising total for House races now stands at a combined $12.7 million. Candidates have stockpiled a total $11.9 million toward the Sept. 6 primary or Nov. 6 general election.

Some voters will see more competitive congressional races than others, but this is an unusual election year in all districts. In addition to being a presidential election year that will likely bring high turnout, candidates are running in newly-drawn districts for the first time, often trying to connect with voters in unfamiliar territory.

Cash is not everything in a race, but it is one of several important factors, said Kenneth Manning, a political science professor at UMass-Dartmouth. It can help candidates with two other things that he said they need to win – name recognition and organization.

“The guy who raises the most money doesn’t automatically win, but you do need enough money to run a credible campaign,” Manning said.

The last fundraising quarter was likely the final push to collect cash before campaigns spend it in earnest in the fall on advertising, traveling the district and paying staff, Manning said.

Maurice Cunningham, a political science professor at UMass-Boston, said he expects more fundraising for House races next quarter, though candidates in the bigger races will have to compete with the presidential and U.S. Senate campaigns for airtime.

“They’re going to run out of places to spend it, in terms of television ads,” he said.

Last quarter, contributors poured the most money in House races by far – $1.6 million – into the contest to fill retiring U.S. Rep. Barney Frank’s seat in the 4th District.

Democrat Joseph Kennedy III collected about $1.3 million of that total – far more than any other House candidate. Cunningham called the total “astounding,” but not unprecedented for a candidate from a prominent family.

The next costliest contest is in the 6th District, where Republican Richard Tisei raised more than his opponent, Democratic U.S. Rep. John Tierney, for the third quarter in a row. Combined, both men raised about $993,000 last quarter.

In every other district, incumbents held the fundraising advantage by far. They often collected hundreds of thousands of dollars while most challengers lagged behind.

Where did the money come from?

Bay State residents who donated at least $200 or more accounted for about half the money candidates collected from April to the end of June, according to fundraising records.

Out-of-state donors gave another roughly $894,000 in contributions this size.

Donors who gave less than $200 contributed more than $300,000 to House campaigns. Candidates do not have to report who gives such smaller contributions.

Groups such as political action committees donated about $934,000 to candidates, most of it to incumbents, FEC records show. That represents about a fifth of all donations last quarter.

Page 2 of 6 - The new fundraising reports also shed light on which towns and cities in Massachusetts are the biggest sources of campaign cash.

Boston residents were by far the biggest source of donations of $200 or more, giving about $400,000 to candidates in races across the commonwealth.

Inner suburbs such as Newton, Cambridge, Wellesley and Brookline were in a class of their own, with residents of each giving larger donations that totaled between $72,000 and $115,000.

On the North Shore, Swampscott residents contributed about $39,000 in larger donations, including nearly $19,000 to Tisei and about $16,000 to Tierney. Marblehead and Manchester also ranked among the top 20 towns that ponied up the most campaign cash.

Hingham residents donated a combined $25,290 in larger campaign donations. More than $19,000 of that went to Kennedy, who will not represent the town if he wins the 4th District.

Fall River also cracked the top 20 towns and cities, donating about $30,000 in larger contributions – the vast majority of it to Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter, a Democrat challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. William Keating for the 9th District.

Other wealthier suburbs, such as Winchester, Weston, Belmont, Concord and Needham, also ranked among the most generous to congressional campaigns.

Explore local donations

SOURCE: Federal Election Commission

NOT SHOWN: Contributions from individuals whose address includes multiple towns (for example, $35,360 in itemized donations from people who said they live in Chestnut Hill, a neighborhood that includes parts of Boston, Newton and Brookline, are not shown).

2nd district

In the new 2nd Congressional District, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern faced no competition in the fundraising race last quarter.

He raised $90,574 – less than any other incumbent congressman in the state. Overall, he has collected $906,000 this election cycle.

McGovern faces a primary challenge from Democrat William Feegbeh, but neither he nor any other candidates reported fundraising in the same district last quarter.

More than half of McGovern’s take, or about $52,000, came from 32 political action committees. Seven were from Massachusetts, including PACs for drug makers Biogen Idec in Weston, EMD Serono in Rockland and Cubist Pharmaceuticals in Lexington.

McGovern raised about $37,800 from individual donors, including about $27,500 from people who gave $200 or more.

Among donors who gave larger contributions, Boston and Worcester residents gave McGovern the most, followed by Dedham, where Biotech Council President and CEO Robert Coughlin gave McGovern $1,000. Dedham is outside the 2nd District.

Page 3 of 6 - McGovern spent about $63,300 of his campaign funds last quarter and ended the reporting period with roughly $472,200 in cash on hand, according to his report.

3rd District

U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas raised $308,247 last quarter in her bid for a fourth term, outpacing Republican challengers Jonathan Golnik and Thomas Weaver.

Golnik, of Carlisle, raised $61,739, according to his campaign finance report. Weaver, who lives in Westford, reported he received $20,588.

The bulk of Tsongas’ money, or about $249,800, came from individual donors, including $216,600 in contributions of $200 or more.

Bostonians were her biggest source of support in that category, donating more than $45,000. In Newton, outside the district, residents gave more than $20,000 in larger contributions, followed by Tsongas’ hometown of Lowell, where people donated about $19,000.

Westford and Concord residents gave Tsongas a little more than $8,000 from each town.

Tsongas also received $58,400 from more than 50 PACs and other committees, 17 of them from the Bay State. They included campaign committees for Attorney General Martha Coakley’s unsuccessful bid for Senate in 2010 and former U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan, now the chancellor of UMass-Lowell.

Golnik and Weaver relied entirely on individual donors to raise their money.

Nearly $50,000 of Golnik’s donations came in increments of $200 or more, including $7,675 from Concord residents, according to his report.

Weaver raised about $11,500 from people who gave $200 or more and loaned his campaign $4,015 of his own money last quarter.

To date, Weaver has loaned his campaign $38,015, his report said.

Altogether, Tsongas has raised about $1.2 million toward her reelection bid, while Golnik has collected about $144,600. Weaver has raised just shy of $33,000 altogether.

He ended last quarter with $19,550 in cash on hand, compared to $60,294 for Golnik and $405,301 for Tsongas.

4th District

Joseph Kennedy III raised a staggering $1.3 million last quarter, most of it from individual donors who gave $200 or more.

Two other Democrats seeking the same seat came nowhere close. Rachel Brown raised $7,282 and Herb Robinson of Newton raised $4,918, mainly by loaning his campaign $4,500.

Republican Sean Bielat, who unsuccessfully challenged Frank in 2010, collected $217,836 from April to June. Brookline Republican Elizabeth Childs trailed him with $50,694, while Fall River GOP candidate David Steinhof raised $18,486.

Kennedy’s fundraising efforts stretched across the country. Most donations of $200 or more came from the Bay State, or about $579,800, but Kennedy also received about $215,800 from New Yorkers, $71,700 from Illinois residents and $70,700 from Californians.

In Massachusetts, Bostonians were his biggest source of support, giving more than $130,000. Cambridge residents gave more than $70,000.

Inside the district, Newton led the pack with about $53,000 in combined donations, followed by Wellesley, about $35,600, and Brookline, about $28,000.

Kennedy also raised $94,539 from committees, ranging from the United Mine Workers of America Power PAC to Maryland U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer’s campaign committee. Altogether, he has raised about $2.6 million toward his first-ever bid for elected office.

Page 4 of 6 - Bielat raised all his money from individual donors. He collected about $118,500 in increments of $200 or more, the vast majority from within the Bay State, and $99,300 in smaller contributions.

Bielat raised the most large contributions from Wellesley, where he collected $23,850, followed by Newton, with about $17,650, and Dover, about $12,200. To date, Bielat has raised nearly $469,000, according to his report.

Childs contributed about $10,000 of her own money to her campaign last quarter. She also raised about $33,100 from individual donors. Brookline residents were her biggest supporters, giving her campaign about $7,750, followed by Wellesley, about $5,800.

Altogether, Childs has raised $141,500.

Steinhof loaned his campaign $10,000 last quarter and has raised about $20,500 to date.

Kennedy ended the quarter with $1.9 million in cash on hand, compared to Bielat, who had $165,625, and Childs, $26,204.

5th District

U.S. Rep. Edward Markey, the longest-serving member of Congress from Massachusetts, raised $371,468 last quarter in his bid for an 18th term in the new 5th District.

Individual donors gave Markey most of his cash, or $288,125 – most of them Bay State residents.

He raised more than $80,000 in donations of at least $200 from Boston residents, as well as $13,650 from Cambridge contributors and $11,500 from Belmont.

Committees, such as PACs, gave Markey about $57,000 last quarter. Nine PACs from the Bay State contributed $18,000, including Cubist Pharmaceuticals in Lexington, Fresenius Medical Care North America of Waltham and defense contractor Raytheon of Lexington.

So far this election cycle, Markey has raised more than $935,000 and ended last quarter with $3.3 million saved in his campaign war chest.

Addivinola raised $6,810 in contributions from individuals and loaned his campaign $7,951 last quarter. He had about $8,800 in cash on hand at the end of June.

Semon collected all his donations from individual donors and had no debt heading into the third fundraising quarter of the year.

He reported having $3,313 in cash on hand at the end of June.

6th District

Republican Richard Tisei raised $571,318 from April to June, outpacing Democratic U.S. Rep. John Tierney, who received $421,944.

But Tisei ended June with more cash on hand than Tierney – nearly $802,000 vs. about $693,000.

Tisei raised $436,172 from individual donors, including $361,769 in increments of $200 or more. Boston residents gave about $35,000 in donations that size, while Swampscott contributors ranked third among Tisei’s biggest sources of support, giving almost $19,000.

Wakefield ranked fourth, giving about $15,700.

PACs gave Tisei another $110,525, including $10,000 each from the Continuing a Majority Party PAC, affiliated with Michigan Rep. Dave Camp, and the Every Republican is Crucial PAC, run by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

Page 5 of 6 - Tierney raised $265,607 from individual donors, including $209,039 in donations of at least $200.

He found his biggest sources of support in Swampscott, where donors gave larger contributions that totaled more than $16,000; Marblehead, where he gathered nearly $11,600; Boxford, about $10,850; and Gloucester, $10,375.

PACs also helped fund Tierney’s campaign, giving him more than $152,000. Among Tierney’s backers were the USA Farmworker PAC, which gave $10,000, and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which donated $5,000.

7th District

U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano saw little competition fundraising for his bid for an eighth term in the new 7th District.

He raised $121,399 last quarter, bringing his total to $721,289 for this election cycle. No other candidates reported fundraising in the same district from April to June.

Capuano raised $89,540 from individual donors last quarter, including $78,210 in donations of at least $200.

Bostonians were his biggest supporters, donating more than $21,000 to his campaign from April to June in increments of $200 or more. Brookline residents, despite not being in Capuano’s district, ranked second, contributing about $7,450.

Somerville residents donated just short of $4,000 to Capuano’s campaign. Cambridge, where Capuano lost some territory in redistricting, donated about $1,580.

Capuano also raised $31,750 from committees, including $5,000 from the union-affiliated Unite Here Tip Campaign Committee and $2,500 from Google’s PAC.

Capuano ended June with $459,339 in his campaign account.

8th District

U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch raised $106,466 last quarter in his bid for the new 8th District, bringing his fundraising total to nearly $486,000 this election cycle.

Republican Matt Temperley reported raising $6,202 in his bid for the same district. No reports were available on the FEC website for Joe Selvaggi, another Republican in the race.

Committees, including PACs, made up more than half the donations Lynch received from April to June, or $60,075. In-state PAC donations included $4,000 from John Hancock Financial Services, $2,500 from NStar and $1,000 from the Massachusetts Bankers PAC.

Lynch also received donations from several labor union-affiliated committees, such as Sheet Metal Workers International PAC and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

He raised almost $46,000 from individual donors; $31,357 came in increments of $200 or more. That included $5,900 from Boston residents and $2,950 from Quincy.

Altogether, Lynch had $691,990 in cash on hand at the end of June, according to his report.

Temperley raised $2,175 from individual donors and contributed $4,027 to his own campaign, according to his report.

He has raised $7,540 to date and had $2,725 in cash on hand at the end of June.

9th District

U.S. Rep. William Keating raised $178,774 last quarter in his effort to win the new 9th District, followed by Democratic challenger Sam Sutter, who raised $118,090 in the same period.

Committees also gave $83,350 to Keating’s campaign, including $10,000 from the Honeywell International PAC, $6,000 from the lawyer-backed American Association for Justice and $6,000 from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Sutter raised all his money, except for $250 from four small campaign committees, from individual donors last quarter. That included $104,630 in increments of $200 or more.

Fall River was his biggest base of support in that category, with residents there pumping $22,300 into his campaign. Westport residents followed, giving Sutter another $9,250, followed by Somerset, $8,500, New Bedford, $7,055, and Swansea, $5,500.

On the GOP side of the aisle, Chaprales raised almost all his money from individual donors, including $26,452 in donations of $200 or more.

Quincy residents gave the most to Chaprales in larger donations, totaling $7,750. Weymouth residents gave about $5,000, followed by Sandwich with $3,050.

Chaprales’ only committee donation was $500 from the Cape Cod Republican Club.

Sheldon raised most of his money from seven contributors and listed most of their donations as “in kind” – office rent, T-shirts, event supplies and the like.